"Always seem to change the rules at Charters Towers Hospital"

I was in Townsville Hospital for surgery, and to be honest, I couldn’t fault them. The staff and care I received couldn’t have been better. I was then transferred to Charters Townsville Hospital and it couldn’t be worse. I was transferred in an ambulance, with oxygen, because I found it very difficult to breath. When I got to Charters Towers, I asked the nurse attending if I could get some oxygen and she said that she had nine other patients and I’d have to wait.

Seems to me that people I need to see at Charters Towers Hospital weren’t helping me at all. I was supposed to be there for rehabilitation and they discharged me. There was no follow up at home, to see if everything was ok. I did get a call, three months later, and even then they didn’t come to the house. I was stuck on the toilet for hours, because I couldn’t get up, and only got off it because a mate turned up and helped me. I didn’t get any help from the rehab at Charters Towers Hospital, or any equipment to help me at home. Only a phone call three months later!

And it seems like they change the rules all the time. I keep trying to find out what I had to do, and it changes every time I go up there. Every time I go there, there are different rules. I feel like I have to beg to get some help or to see a specialist. They don’t give any guidelines to what you have to do to get your forms done, and when I asked them about it, they told me they don’t advertise.

I ended up having to go to Townsville Hospital to see my specialist and when I got there I couldn’t breathe so was put in hospital. My carer had come with me and so had to stay overnight. So when I went to get reimbursed for the hotel stay, Charters Towers Hospital travel lady told me I had to have the form signed by the three doctors I saw. So I had to go back to Townsville Hospital to get the form signed, and couldn’t find where to go, after going to three different places, the girl I saw, said to me that the staff at Charters Towers Hospital could have sent the form via fax to Townsville and I shouldn’t have had to make the trip. This isn’t an isolated case. When I saw a doctor, he decided I had to stay overnight, again my carer was there, again they had nowhere else to go so had to stay in a local hotel and again the rules changed about reimbursing me and they said I had to have everything authorised. At the time I don’t know I will have to stay, so how can I get authorisation?

I’m not well and just the thought of going to Charters Towers Hospital upsets me, so I always just say, take me to Townsville Hospital where they seem to care.